


Promise Me The Sea

by Free_Cookies



Series: TAZ fics <3 [5]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Found Family, Gen, Grand Relics, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Starblaster Crew As Family, all my summaries are song lyrics sorry i dont make the rules
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 14:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20761772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Free_Cookies/pseuds/Free_Cookies
Summary: You should've got out of the redIn the red you're better off deadDeader than the red dead seaPromise it to mePromise me the sea(Shut Eye - Stealing Sheep)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> don't write the part you want to write first, folks!! this one took me a long time to complete because of that rip
> 
> enjoy <3
> 
> EDIT: FORGOT AN ENTIRE SECTION SORRY

The first cycle was hard. Everyone had their own lives and needs, and having to learn a new language from scratch put a damper on that. Oh, and their whole universe being brutally murdered had something to do with it, too.

The second cycle was better. They communicated more, helped each other out.

By the third cycle, Taako was talking to Lucretia more with every passing day. It was, admittedly, not much, but it was still something.

At the end of their journey, they were practically brother and sister. All of them were.

Their relics brought immense suffering. In the middle of this, Lucretia tried to do something terrible.

** _~*~_ **

_ "Lucretia, what is this?" _

_ "I- it's a brief description of all the- the cycles- and the relics and- I'm- I'm sorry, I'm-" _

_ "What were you trying to do here?" _

_ Lucretia only sobbed. Magnus put his arms around her, not caring about the tears dampening his shirt. Davenport flipped through the journal. _

_ Lucretia had a cup of hot chocolate placed in her hands as quickly as humanly possible, and soon the whole crew was in the common room of the ship. Pillows and blankets lined the walls as Lucretia began to talk, detailing her plan. _

_ Grim looks spread through the room one by one. Davenport softly told Magnus to fill a pitcher with Fisher's tank water in order to inoculate the team. _

_ They ended up feeding the journal to Fisher anyway, thinking that it was better for the knowledge of them to be erased for good. _

_ They tried to look for the relics (and the sister) they lost, deciding that they were best kept in the hands of the people who made them. _

_ To do this, they needed to leave each other. That was the hardest part. No matter how much they kept in touch, the people that they had spent a hundred years with would be gone. _

_ They did what they had to do, though. _

** _~*~_ **

Taako had joined a traveling circus in the hopes of finding both Lup and his Stone, searching frantically in between the practice and the shows. 

His act was a show of the finest magic, doing big, flashy displays that to him were nothing but cantrips. After one particular show, he was doing a sweep of the outside grounds, acting as security since the previous one left earlier that day. Any sound rang out loudly in the silence of night, and so a baby's crying being abruptly cut off caught his attention pretty quickly. 

Bursting into a clearing, he saw a group of figures surrounding a child, who was about to be torn open. The area was still for a moment before Taako started firing off spells, using mage hand to carefully lift the baby out of the cult's grasp. 

As he backed them into a corner, a sudden tear in reality came about. Through it stepped a young woman wearing a long, black cloak. She looked at Taako, looked at the necromancers, and nodded. 

Soon enough, the necromancers were captured and rightfully thrown into the Eternal Stockade. The half-elf woman walked over to Taako, who was holding the baby, and spoke. 

"You know, I came here to grab these necromancers. What I didn't expect was Taako Taaco!" She waved her hand, summoning a pristine book. Flipping to a page she read, "Taako Taaco, guilty for eight- eight! Eight counts of death! You haven't even escaped from the Astral Plane or anything, it's instantaneous!" 

Taako winced. That was more than he'd thought. As the Reaper continued to rant, the baby in Taako's arms stirred. It was miracle how he managed to stay asleep, what with all the fighting and necromancy. He probably had a sleep spell cast on him, the poor thing. 

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

"See, that's just the thing, Darling. Taako only listens to those he deems worthy of his time. So unless you have something better to do...?"

The Reaper pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Look, it's been a long day and I can't handle this. Just- come with me and we can sort this out directly. The Raven Queen is calling me back anyway, she wants an audience with you."

She opened a portal to a place that looked like a glorified waiting room, and once she wrangled Taako in there it really felt like one.

The Reaper glared at Taako as he lounged in a chair, examining his nails. Taako met her eyes and raised a singular eyebrow. She scrunched her nose and returned to whatever she was scribbling in a stack of paper.

"Look, if you don't want me here im willing to go," Taako quipped. 

"I'm only keeping you here because I have to, I don't want to be here but before you see The Raven Queen a Reaper must be with you at all times." 

He looked down at the baby, who was playing with one of his cheaper bracelets. "Well- yeah, that's fair. But do you have to do it while glaring at me?" 

"I have a headache and paperwork to do, and you certainly aren't helping," the Reaper hissed. She angrily moved a paper to the bottom of the stack and began working again. 

They sat in silence for another few minutes, and then a heavy door opened. A mousy halfling Reaper poked her head around the corner and looked at the first one. 

"Alice?" She asked, her voice tinted with a southern accent. "The Raven Queen wants to see you and the bounty now." 

Alice stood up, her paperwork vanishing into the ether somewhere. "Thanks, J. Do you mind watching this child while we-"

"She wants the baby too, actually." She took a step, opening the door a little wider for the three of them. As they passed, she looked at Taako. "Good luck," she whispered, letting them pass before going into the waiting room and shutting the door behind her. 

A vast hallway stretched dauntingly before them, a simple pattern on the tile floor. Alice walked, confident and headstrong, while Taako trailed behind her. Another door awaited them at the end, taller than the eye could see. Alice drew a small breath in, and then she pushed it open. 

Entering The Queen's throne room was, to put it lightly, breathtaking. The edges of the floor seemed to fade into an inky void, causing the room to have an ethereal, unending feeling. The throne on which The Queen sat was ornate, but not so ornate to outshine The Queen herself. 

The Raven Queen was tall, easily twenty times Taako's height. She was dripping with silver, radiance spilling off of her in waves. If Taako tilted his head back, he could see a raven skull where there should be a face. Dark hair cascaded down her shoulders gracefully, and her dress looked like it came out of, well, a Queen's closet. It was lined with raven feathers, and there were black pearls and diamonds littering the skirt of it, growing into a simple pattern at the top. 

Alice knelt almost immediately after entering the room. Beside her, Taako was enthralled. 

"I have to say, my expectations were low, what, for you being a death godess and all, but I have to say- your presentation? It's perfection. I love the aesthetic you have going on here, it's very fitting. 11/10 from me! You're the first fashionable person I've seen here and you're gorgeous! Not to mention your hallway and doors, those totally invoked a feeling of intimidation and a fear for my life. Where do I sign up for this position? 'Cause it seems like it would be perfect for me!" 

There was a heavy silence that draped over the room. Then The Raven Queen lifted a hand to where her mouth would be and let out a small chuckle.

** _"You may rise, my Reaper."_ **

Alice stood up, keeping her head bowed. "My Lady, I apologize for Taako's behavior."

** _"It matters not, what's done is done. Please depart for now, you may come back in once I finish with Taako."_ **

"Y- Yes, My Queen." Alice bowed and turned to leave, placing a hand upon an ornate door handle.

** _"Oh, and Alice?"_ **

"Yes, My Queen?"

** _"Congratulations on your relationship with Jessica. You passed her on your way in, did you not?"_ **

"Yes, My Lady."

** _"You two are a good fit for each other."_ **

"Th- Thank you, My Queen."

** _"Go to her."_ **

"Right away, Your Majesty." Alice bowed and walked briskly out of the room.

The Raven Queen shifted her gaze to Taako and Angus.

** _"You two have had a long day, have you not?"_ **

Taako snorted. "If you could call it that. Me and this kid here almost got killed and we actually are in a meeting with The Raven Queen but it's happened in a thirty-minute span of time so I could hardly say it's been a day."

** _"His name is Angus. McDonald."_ **

There was a pause.

** _"Taako, do you know why you are here?"_ **

"I committed laws against life and death itself?"

** _"Well, yes, but also no. You are here because Lady Istus made a plea for your soul to be saved."_ **

"Wait, she what?"

** _"It surprised me, too, but she has made herself clear. You are to carry on with your life as you were, and your compatriots as well. Your strings are important in the scheme of fate, and Istus does not want me to tamper with such things."_ **

Taako blinked. "Then why am I still here?" 

The Raven Queen lifted a silver fingernail and pointed at Angus. 

"Him? He's, like, two! You can't hold anything against him, can you?"

** _"I can. His Soul was tampered with, the Necromancers that assaulted him tried to alter it and left a negative side effect. I will need to remove it."_ **

"What, his soul? Is this some dementor's kiss kinda bul-"

** _"Only for a moment, Taako, and then he will be yours to rear. Please, would you give him to me?"_ **

She outstretched her hand, and her excess power came off of her forcefully. It was enough to make Taako's eyes prick with tears, and though he blinked them away he still felt all but suffocated. 

Gently, he took Angus and placed him in The Raven Queen's palm. 

In a flash of blinding light, Angus was gone. His body had disintegrated, leaving behind a glowing mist. The Raven Queen turned the mist over in her hands, as if looking for something. A pause. She dipped in her long fingernails, which really looked more like claws at this point, into the mist. She pulled out a dark crystal of some sort, looking carefully at the encased fog within. 

** _"So that was why his soul was so unstable. This is his personality core, you don't see these every day."_ **

"I'm sorry?" 

"These necromancers manipulated his sense of self, his very essence." 

"Well, can you fix it?"

** _"Of course. But it will take time."_ **

"How much time are we talking?"

** _"Years. It will be a careful and delicate process."_ **

Taako took a step back. "Hachi machi"

** _"Indeed."_ **

The Raven Queen gently lowered the blackened crystal back into the mist of Angus's soul. She waved a hand over him, and he flashed a bright orange light. He quickly reformed into a corporeal being, tiny and laughing in The Raven Queen's massive palm. 

** _"Aren't you a lively one?"_ **

She said this with amusement clearly shown in her voice. She waved a hand, and Angus was back in Taako's arms. 

Taako looked down at Angus. "I... what did you do to him?"

** _"I gave him some help. Of course, it's not all I will need to do, but it is a start."_ **

"What's that supposed to mean?"

** _"I cannot heal his soul alone, nor can I do it all at once. It must be slow. I will not need to see him often, as he will need time to adjust."_ **

"That's great and all, but what does that have to do with me?"

** _"You will raise him."_ **

There was silence. Even Angus stopped babbling for a moment. 

"What?"

** _"You will raise him."_ **

"No, no. Taako doesn't do kids."

** _"You must. You are the only person who knows about Angus. You are the only one who can help him through it."_ **

"But-"

** _"Taako."_ **

"You can't just- dump a kid on me!"

** _"Why not?"_ **

"I have a job I need to do, I can't drag a toddler with me!"

** _"You must. We can accommodate to your job, but you have to raise him. You are the only one who knows about this who is still mortal."_ **

Taako looked at the baby in his arms. He didn't deserve a life alone. Even if he was around other people, he would be the only mortal soul.

** _"What is your job, anyway? Perhaps I can help."_ **

Hesitantly, Taako spoke. "Are you familiar with the Relic Wars?"

** _~*~_ **

Taako looked carefully around what used to be a great city. Buildings littered the area, and plenty of people were out and about, enjoying the nice, cool night. 

Of course, it was all gone now. 

Carefully picking his way through the town, he tried to find the center of it all. What made matters worse, this was recent. Very recent. Twenty minutes ago recent. The gold that now covered the city was still warm recent. 

Angus was babbling on his back. Taako would have never brought him here, under any circumstances, but no one in The Raven Queen's court seemed to know how to take care of a child. Taako wasn't that competent himself, but he at least knew the basics of mortal life. 

He avoided the eyes of the people who had been turned. Their faces were still an image of terror, a permanent reminder of what his Relic had done. He flinches, seeing a group of horrified kids and forces himself to go through the streets. 

His shoes left small indents on the gold below him, whether that was from the force he was walking with or the still soft metal he wasn't sure. He didn't want to know. 

Taako placed a hand on his wand as the metal around him grew warmer and warmer. The familiar wood handle comforting and familiar in his hand. He opened a door very carefully and peered into the dark inside. Taako cast both Light and Detect Magic, looking around for any trace that his Relic may have left, besides the obvious. 

The wave of recognition almost swept him off of his feet, making him stumble back a few steps. Upstairs. It was upstairs. Practically flying up the steps, he looks at the sight before him.

It’s a loft area, with what were once valuable artefacts strewn about the room. There was one person in the center, kneeling over a small table that was inscribed with various sigils. The rock was in front of them, and they were clutching it, hunched over. What could have been tears were streaming down their face. There was a small child in the corner of the room, playing with a teddy bear and a stuffed bunny. 

Taako grabbed his stone before he could see anything else. He didn't _ want _ to see anything else. He wanted to leave, to never come back. He put his Relic in his bag, deliberately keeping it out of reach of Angus, who was reaching for it. Dumb kid. The kid would probably be dead before the sun rose, thanks to him. 

Returning to the spot The Raven Queen dropped him off, he pulled out the Summoning feather she gave him. He cast a quick burning spell, and he was transported, yet again, to the throne room. 

Another Reaper was discussing something with her, but they stopped almost immediately after Taako appeared. The Reaper turned to face him, surprised. He was handsome. That didn’t matter, but for the record. Very handsome. 10/10 would smooch. Internal monologue cancelled, The Raven Queen was saying something.

** _“Taako, welcome back. Did you find your Relic?”_ **

“Yeah, who’s this?”

** _“This is Kravitz, one of my best Reapers. He will be the main Reaper assigned to your case- well, you and the boy’s case, that is.”_ **

Kravitz gave Taako a small nod. “My Queen, about the lingering souls in-”

** _“Alice and Jessica can handle it, do not worry. The souls will be safe.”_ **

“Thank you, my Queen.”

** _“As for you.”_ **

The Raven Queen turned to Taako.

** _“You will have a residence set up in Phandolin, where Kravitz can access you and vice versa. At most, I can only see Angus once every two weeks. In the meantime, you will still be able to search for your sister while also taking up a career in whatever area of skill you choose.”_ **

“But what about the kid?”

** _“You will still have to raise him. Kravitz will help, of course, on days where you are searching or working, but there is only so much the dead can do for the living.”_ **

Kravitz looked uncomfortable at this notion. He didn’t seem much like a dad either, which was very reassuring, all things considered. 

“So, is that it?”

** _“Yes. Almost everything is already in order, but you will still need to choose a career path. I cannot provide you with money, as that is out of my jurisdiction.”_ **

“What about the paperwork for the place?”

  
  
**“One of my Reapers will take care of that, do not worry.”**

Taako hesitated.

What could he do that would bring in enough money? His only constants in his life were Lup and cooking, and he- Hold on. There was a thought. If he couldn’t bring Lup to him with his magic, maybe he could bring her to him with their recipes. The ones from their home world, the ones they made on the Starblaster, the ones they picked up from the cycles, the ones that were _ theirs _. 

“Do you think you could find me a restaurant to run?” 

The Raven Queen nodded. 

**“There is a place where there is a restaurant on the ground floor and a residential area above. I will be able to put you there. There will be an accessible area to regularly portal in and out, and you will be able to raise Angus as well.”**

“Thank you,” Taako said, his senses finally coming to him. He was in the presence of a _ goddess _, what good was he if he wasn’t at least a _little_ polite? 

With a final wave of her hand, The Raven Queen looked over at them.

** _"Go. Live your life."_ **

The Raven Queen snapped, and Angus and Taako were in front of their new house. 

“Well,” said Taako. “Seems like it’s just you and me now, kid.”

**~*~**

The next eight years were spent getting Angus to his appointments, fixing up the old diner he was sent to, and trying to look for his sister. He had one too many dates with the hot reaper man he saw, and he thinks he let Angus join a cult? He still wasn’t sure about that one.

No one else had seen Lup. Barry, having gone lich while looking for his relic, was working tirelessly to find her. Lucretia had found her relic, and had made a second moon to look for the others from aboveground. The others were still searching.

It could be worse, though.

Someone could be looking to kill him.

** _~*~_ **

Killian looked over the map. There was a large black circle drawn on it, and a smaller, more recent, red circle was over a small town. 

Carey looked over her shoulder. "Phandalin, huh?" 

"Yeah, The Director said that it was where she was going to look before she started the Bureau." 

"Well, if The Director was going to look there we might as well." 

"Might as well."

Carey nodded. "Let's go, then."

** _~*~_ **

Taako looked at the clock. 10:30. It was late enough that Angus would have gone to bed, however late he might have stayed up reading. He double checked, and sure enough, the kid was out like a light. 

He could finally work with his masterpiece. 

Being a Relic, it was very tempting to outside forces to use for anyone outside of the people who had managed to harness The Light.

Taako had solved this by getting a blood-sealed safe. 

It was intricate in design, but still plain enough that no one would suspect it anything more than an old jewelry box. There was a sigil to keep it sealed, if course, but many assumed that it simply held family heirlooms. It was able to keep everything inside of it, no matter how powerful the object or determined the person. 

Taako took his Stone out of the safe and went about transmutating his old, unused silverware. Perhaps something for Angus, he thought. A new magnifying glass? Some gemstone bookmarks? A set of Caleb Cleveland lollipops? Maybe that would give him something to chew on besides his nails. Yes, he decided, that was the best course of action. 

His task was going smoothly, the wrappers not hard to create and the flavors being much better than the typical store ones. 

He hummed to himself as he placed the stone down and collected the lollipops, setting them aside in a bowl for when Angus woke up. 

Cautiously, he took his Stone and put it back in the safe. 

Taako set about cleaning up. The dishes, however few, still needed washing, and it gave him something to so with his hands. 

Of course, this caused him to let his guard down. Who would attack a man doing the dishes in his own household? 

Carey and Killian, that's who.

They came bursting in, weapons drawn and teeth bared. Taako barely had time to grab his wand as they barreled into his kitchen, causing him to drop a plate. Taako cast hold person, effectively freezing them. He took a step back, inspecting their figures while they watched, unable to do anything about it.

Two women: an orc and a dragonborn. Interesting combination, but their movements, however little he'd seen of them, were fluid and they fit together perfectly. There was one thing about them that he noticed, though. It was the bracer that the two wore, engraved with a symbol. He realized with a jolt that Angus had an identical one. 

Another thing he noticed was a scroll that had dropped out of one of their bags. Taako picked it up and immediately recognized Lucretia's handwriting. He softly swore in confusion and set the scroll down. 

He turned back to his more pressing problem, though, as he remembered that he had two other people in his house.

He cast mending on the plate he had dropped, the shattered pieces flying together. He put down his wand in favor of the plate, and that's when his spell wore off. 

Carey snapped back into motion, tripping a little as she caught herself from falling. She shoved Taako up against the wall, causing the plate to fall and shatter again. 

"Where is it?" She yelled, flecks of spit flying into his face. "Where's the relic?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about! Who are you?" 

"Why don't you answer us truthfully, and we can tell you," the orc woman said, shifting into a relaxed, threatening position. "No one has to die tonight." 

"I sure hope not, my son's asleep upstairs! 

"Your son's going to be blown to bits if you don't give us the relic right now!" 

"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about!"

Carey furrowed her scaly eyebrows. "You still seem sane... Killian, maybe we should ask The Director about this?" 

"Maybe - are you sure that you can-" 

"Hey, can we go back to the part where you tell me why you’re looking for the Relics?" 

Carey huffed in irritation."They were created by the Red Robes who unleashed them into this world, bringing nothing but destruction with them. We’re looking to stop that destruction. You got all that?" 

Taako nodded carefully, all the colour completely gone from his face. Killian shook her head in confusion, unfurling the scroll that Taako had put down on his table. 

"The Director says to contact her at the confirmation of a Relic, which we don't have. Do you think she would be appreciative of an elf who knows things that were Redacted without being inoculated?" 

Carey shook her head. "It's better to call her anyway, before we start to-" 

"Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I got it. What will we do to keep him quiet, though?" 

"Duct tape?" 

"That'll do it."

"Hey- I'm not some random guy who happened to stumble on a rock in the woods, I made that thing with my two hands!" 

"You- you're a Red Robe?" Carey faltered in her grip, giving Taako enough leverage to wriggle out and cast a spell. 

"Hey! Don't move!" Killian yelled, pointing her crossbow at Taako. He had Blinked and had made his way over to the counter, reaching for his Stone of Farspeech. 

"Carey, why'd you let go of him?" 

"I didn't!" 

Taako held up his hands and fixed the women with a determined stare. "I'm just going to make a call. I have no ill intentions, but I'm not above fighting back if you attempt to harm me." 

Killian nodded once, stiffly, and Taako picked up his Stone. He waited as it connected to the person on the other end. 

"Yes?" came an exasperated voice. 

"Lucretia. Darling. Light of my life-" 

"What do you want, Taako, I'm in the middle of something." 

"Rude, much? I've got a question for you." 

Lucretia sighed. "What is it?" 

"Have you, by chance, created an entire secret organization that I don't know about?" 

She paused. "What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it was the two people waving their weapons in my face claiming that you're their Director?"

"Wait, who's there with you?" 

Taako looked at the bewildered women in his kitchen. 

"Carey. Carey and Killian," Carey supplied. 

"You two had strict orders to keep away from civilians, what made you come here?" 

"Our scanners detected a relic here, and we thought it might be the gauntlet-" 

"Luce, you know where the gauntlet is?" 

"I think I do, it wasn't an exact estimate, that's not the point here." 

"This could help me find Lup, and you never told me?" 

"Taako-" 

"Lucretia." 

"Look, we need to find the Relics so we can-" 

"Does it matter what you need to do with them? I'm still hung up on the fact that you've created an ENTIRE ORGANIZATION and you didn't tell any of us!" 

"Taako I-" 

"You took in my LITERAL SON and DIDN'T TELL ME!" 

"I didn't KNOW that he was your-"

"Lucretia this could have HELPED ME FIND LUP! Why didn't you tell us about this?" 

"This is getting out of hand-" 

"Sir?"

Everyone froze.

In the doorway of the kitchen, there was a little ten-year-old boy detective. Taako rushed over, ignoring the confused outbursts of Carey and Killian.

"Angus, what are you doing awake?" 

"There was yelling, and I wanted to see was going on. Hello there, Miss Killian, Miss Carey! Why're you here? If you don't mind me asking." 

"You know them?" 

"Yeah, they're from work!" 

"Angus, he knows The Director on a first-name basis, I think you can tell him who we work for," Killian grumbled. 

"Look, Angus, your dad? Here? He's a Red Robe. We don't know how he manages to keep himself sane, but he does. We need to-" 

"I know that." 

Taako froze."What?" 

"I've known you were a Red Robe for a while now, sir." 

"Angus, why didn't you report him to The Director?" 

"Yeah, I'm actually with them on this one. If you were told to look out for me then why didn't you report me?" 

"Please, Sir, if you were evil I would know." 

There was a pause. 

Then Taako swore. "Guess that means I'm finally gonna get to see where you work, kid. Bring your mentor to work day, how does that sound?" 

Angus lit up. "Really? Aww man, I gotta show you around!" 

Taako chuckled. "Sure do." He turned back to Carey and Killian, who were standing there in slight awe and confusion. "You said something about finding a relic before you came bursting in, what was that about?" 

Carey narrowed her eyes. "We were supposed to go looking for the gauntlet and we got it down to Wave-Echo Cave. We were supposed to find a place to stay so we could do it in the morning, but now's a good time as any." 

"Great!" Taako grabbed his wand. "I'm coming with." 

"Wait-" 

"Killian," The Director's tired voice came through the call. "Let him." 

"Fine, but I won't like it." 

"Ango, you good staying here for a few hours by yourself?" 

"Oh absolutely not," Lucretia said. "You're all going to get some rest and get at it in the morning. It's almost midnight!" 

"Lucretia, sweetie, I'm going to do whatever I please. Ango, answer the question." 

Angus nodded."I think I'm going to go back to sleep." 

"Alright. Sweet dreams, kid." 

As Angus crept up the stairs, Taako turned to Carey and Killian and clasped his hands together.

"How about we go find that Relic, hm?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trigger warnings:  
\- blood  
\- canon-typical violence

The night was going just swell, thanks for asking.  _ First _ , Taako had his home broken into,  _ then _ he found out that Lucretia’s moon base actually housed a secret organization, and  _ now _ he was walking through this  _ stupid _ cave to look for the  _ stupid _ Gauntlet and  _ stupid, stupid, stupid.  _

He only had time to grab his I.P.R.E. jacket (his robe wasn't good for adventuring) and his hat while being debriefed by Carey and Killian, who he then dragged along with him to Wave-Echo Cave, using a teleportation spell he had learned in one of the earlier cycles. 

At the mouth of the cave, Taako rubbed his hands together in an attempt to psych himself up. "Let's do this," he said. Then, he plunged into the cavern. 

Traversing through the caverns was no easy task. There were rocks everywhere, and there were two annoying Regulators who insisted on having their weapons out at all times. 

Taako picked his way down the damp tunnels, scrunching his nose up at the rats that were surely around them. Although the walls of the cave radiated magical energy, lighting up the hallways to the point where it was fruitless to light a torch, that didn't mean there weren't little alcoves where they could hide. 

"Try to keep up, will you?" Killian called. "We don't exactly have to stop for you." 

Taako smirked. "I think that, according to your boss, yeah. You do."

Killian groaned, muttering something to Carey that Taako couldn't quite make out. Whatever. He had more important things to worry about. All he needed was to grab the gauntlet and go, he didn't care about anything else. 

The trio stumbled their way through the caverns and into a large sort of rest area. There was a natural stone pillar supporting the rest of the area, and there were various mining and camping materials spread about the area. 

Taako picked up a lantern. "Does anyone need one of these boys or are we good with the glowing walls? Maybe just in case?" he called, tossing the lantern towards Kilian. "Maybe it could add a bit to your style, the rocks really don't give you flavour at all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, swatting the lantern away. "We just have to get through this, look, there's even a hole over there with our next tunnel."

Killian pointed, and sure enough there was a pit about twenty feet deep, and a tunnel that led further into the mine. 

Taako groaned. "Things can never be easy, can they?" He grabbed a pickaxe from the mining camp area and looked over the edge of the hole, feigning pensiveness. He almost fell, though, as Killian rushed towards him and jumped into the pit, holding Carey in her arms. There was a thud, but it looked like they landed safely to Taako. 

He rolled an eighteen for acrobatics, and thus slid down the side of the hole with ease. Abandoning his pickaxe, Taako placed a hand on a wall. The room they were in was almost a perfect cube, indicating that someone before them had excavated the land here. 

Carey climbed down from her girlfriend's shoulders, only looking a little disappointed. She placed a hand on the wall and looked over the place with her rogue-analysis skills. "Let's keep moving. This place looks... like a maze. Do we have any chalk or string or..."

"I thought you had some?" Killian asked. "Don't rogues carry that stuff around with them?"

Carey shrugged. "It's my good chalk, I was saving it for later. Like whenever I'm feeling snacky, you know?"

There was a wave of silence as everyone in the room processed this information. Then, Killian and Taako both spoke at the same time. 

"YOU EAT CHALK?"

"Yeah, not the weirdest I've seen."

They shared a look between the three of them. Then Carey sighed. "I'll use my good chalk on this, but I'm not going to like it." 

As Carey navigated the labyrinth with her rogue thing, Taako found great amusement in Killian's muttered existential crisis. 

They eventually crossed the threshold into a more open area is the cavern. They crept through the larger tunnel, Carey and Killian in front of Taako, and they all turned at the sound of a repeating splooch. 

Taako's ears folded back, and they all moved forward a little faster. 

They exited into a large area, a stalactite dripping water into a pool below, creating a domino effect. The small ripples of the water grew larger and larger, violently crashing against the side of the cave. 

On the ledge they were all standing, there were these weird glowing mushrooms that farted even if they even detected a hint of sound carpeting the floor in front of them. They reminded him of Fungstown a bit, but that wasn't important. What was important, though, that Killian's mumbling triggered the mushrooms and gave her the sniffles. 

While Carey was snickering at her, Taako looked up. Above them was what was making the splooch noises; a dark gelatinous blob. It was creeping over towards right above where Killian was trying her best not to cough, and Taako debated the merits of letting the blob fall on her for a second; he decided that although it would be funny, he didn't want to get sick. 

He slipped his wand from his pocket, casting Ray of Frost with a high enough level that the damage roll didn't matter. 

The blob froze over in a second, splitting apart and falling to the ground in a way that was closer to snowflakes than not, a sickening smell lingering in the room. 

"Let's move on," Taako said quietly. 

They crossed the ledge to the elevator on the other side. It had a masterfully woven iron gate in the front, and there was a key hanging from a hook on the cavern wall next to it. 

Carey grabbed the key and turned it in the elevator, allowing them to go down to the same level as the spring. 

If it was damp before, now it was downright wet. Lingering spray in the air from the waves seemed to be attracted to Taako and Killian's hair and all of their clothes. Carey's scales were glistening in the rock light as they all moved forward silently. 

The metal door at the end of the winding path was thankfully unlocked, however daunting the tunnel behind it was. It was the indubiably largest one yet, and it appeared to be the heart of the mining operation. A fact that which no one repeated because it was blatantly obvious to all of them. 

They made their way through the tunnel quickly and quietly, no one really in the mood for any small talk. 

Moving past another set of doors, the trio came into a circular room with a domed ceiling. The floor was made of a grate that was pitch-black underneath it, there was a walkway lining the walls, and in the center of the room sat a large grinding machine. 

They got onto the walkway with the help of the ladder that was on the side. Killian looked around, then hummed skeptically. "Look," she said, pointing to the floor. It had a steady line of blood, and every once in a while petite footsteps showed through the mess. Then, she pointed to the open door. "Someone's here."

Taako's hand went to his wand and the two others drew their weapons as well, walking down the hallway. They followed the blood trail into an open room. 

This one was massive, almost perfectly circular and it had a gaping pit in the middle of it, almost the circumference of the room itself. There was blood splattered on the ground, moreso than the room before. 

The world seemed to come to a screeching halt as Taako saw the scene before him. 

A young human woman with red hair, probably no older than Lucretia had been during the Century, was holding up a dwarf with a massive gash on his left thigh up against a wall. With one hand, no less. The other one was rummaging around in a bag strapped to her belt. 

"Stop moving," she hissed, pulling out a vial. "Neither of us want you to bleed out, now do we?"

"Hey!" Kilian shouted. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The woman whipped her head around. "That's none of your business! You need to leave right now, I don't want to hurt you."

She was practically growling at them, all the while pressing the vial to the gash in an attempt to catch some of the blood that was streaming out of the dwarf. "Come on, come on, come on," she whispered. 

"Hey kid," Taako called. "You need to like, stop now? We need to heal him up and you can't comprehend the- the level you're dabbling in right now, so-"

The girl let go of Gundren and the vial in favour of brandishing a bloodstained dagger. "I need to get into that vault. I need his blood to do it. Now go away!" She took a step forward.

For all intents and purpouses, she was a little intimidating. However, Taako had seen this sort of... crazed, frenzied look on enough people to tell that this girl wasn't in complete control. 

He sighed. "What's your name kid? If you're going for the villan look, you might as well do it right and monologue."

The girl looked taken aback, narrowing her eyes before she started to speak in a curt tone. "It's- it's Noelle. I- I'm only here for what's in the vault, but I swear I'll hurt you if you try to stop me!"

The poor girl was shaking, clearly close to panicking. Carey stepped forward, raising her hands in a way that Noelle couldn't see the dagger hidden behind them. "Noelle, you can't go after what's in that vault, it's too dangerous for you or anyone else to handle. Please, you can come with us and you can see we're telling the truth."

"And why can't you just tell me, huh?" Noelle asked, lifting her chin. "And why should I believe you?"

"We literally cannot tell you. I promise, if you come with us then everything will make sense."

Noelle lowered her dagger the tiniest bit. Progress. 

Carey tried to coax Noelle into putting her dagger down completely, all the while Taako could feel Killian seething beside him. 

"Listen. I know you don't know what's in the vault, but we do, and we need to get what's in there to save the world."

"I- what? How are you doing that with your mouth?"

Carey pursed her lips and paused, thinking of a way around the static. 

"I literally cannot tell you. But I swear I will as soon as I'm able."

"Carey, what-" 

"Killian, she got this far without us noticing. We could use her on our side," Carey said. "Now, sweetheart, let's drop the knife and talk about this. Why do you want whatever's in that vault?"

Noelle frantically looked around the room. She lowered the knife another fraction of an inch, taking shallow, shaky breaths. "I- I just-"

She swallowed nervously and started again. "It- it spoke to me. It promised me so- so much power and it told me that I could help my family and that they could be safe if i were to just take-"

She shut her mouth and clutched her head, dropping to her knees. Carey slid over to her, taking the knife from the girls hand and putting it away with her own. 

As she consoled Noelle, Killian turned to Taako."

"Go in and get the Gauntlet. We can handle things out here."

Taako nodded. He walked around everyone to and then through tunnel leading away from the cavern.

He pushed past iron doors, through the room that the robot was in, and then finally through another tunnel, this one leading to a room with a fancy round door, presumably being the safe. 

Taako stepped into the room and immediately felt an overwhelming sensation that something was wrong. It felt like electricity had coursed through his veins, making his hair stand on edge and his teeth grit. Looking around desperately, he cursed his darkvision for not catching up to his situation. 

His wild eyes ran over every corner in the room until they came to a pause. No, a complete stop. His eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, knocking into the door behind him. 

There, lying on the cold, hard cave surface, was a skeleton. In a red robe. Holding an umbrella. 

** _~*~_ **

_ "I know we don't say this enough but," Lup paused and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Taako." _

_ Taako smiled in a way that he hoped was reassuring and hugged his sister. "Turn in for the night, okay? I can finish up down here." _

_ Lup nodded, her eyes a thousand miles away, and she stumbled up the stairs.  _

** _~*~_ **

Taako took a step forward, and then another and another and suddenly he was running across the room to the skeleton in the red robe with an umbrella who's name was so dear to him and who was his heart, his everything-

** _~*~_ **

_ Taako didn't mean to stay up that late. He was just worried about Lup and when he was worried about Lup he made pudding. Easy to make and eat, and he knew that Lup was never one to pass up an opportunity to eat any.  _

_ He placed the bowl to chill in the fridge and wiped the counters down one last time.  _

_ Something fell upstairs. Lup's room was right above the kitchen. Taako heard her hiss out a curse and then there were footsteps. He sighed.  _

_ There was another glassing recently. They were all struggling, but Lup's relic was purely for destruction. There was incredible damage, and she wasn't coping well. _

_ Gritting his teeth, he turned off the lights in the kitchen. He needed to trust her on this one, and be there when she needed him.  _

_ He just hoped he wouldn't be too late.  _

** _~*~_ **

Taako collapsed next to the skeleton. His ears were pressed flat against his skull and he could feel his body freeze up in terror. 

He slowly grabbed the handle of the umbrastaff and pulled. As soon as there was even the slightest movement, the skeleton crumbled to dust, leaving behind only the staff. Taako made a broken whimper that surprised even him, and he clutched the staff on his arms.

Blood rushed in his ears and he had to remind himself, had to physically force himself to get up, to get moving, that he had a job to do, that he couldn't just sit and grieve for his sister, he had to-

to...

go.

Go where though? To Lucretia's base? To another cycle? The Astral Plane? 

Just. Somewhere. Just one foot in front of the other.

Taako grit his teeth. He put the umbrella in one of his belt loops and stood up. His legs were stiff, he must have been kneeling there for longer than he thought. 

He shambled over to the vault door. He pushed in, expecting it to open, and pulled his hand away to reveal flakes of dried blood. Right, he still needed blood from that godforsaken dwarf. He took a deep breath, trying to push down the grief for his sister, and mumbled a spell to reactivate the blood, using his own as a sample.

The inside of the vault was unremarkable, black glass coating the insides and ashes in the shape of a dwarven man. He grabbed the gauntlet off of it and stuffed it in his bag. 

When he got back to the room where the others were, he found Carey and Killian coaxing Noelle into drinking some water and trying to calm her down. He also found a pool of blood, and a cold Gundren Rockseeker. 

"What happened to him?" Taako muttered to Carey, who had temporarily left Noelle's side. 

"The idiot didn't want Killian helping him, said something about her being a dirty orc. And I was helping Noelle, so he bled out. I'm going to chuck his body in the hole after you all leave, the kid shouldn't need to deal with that," Carey whispered back. She raised her voice. "Killian, let's leave. We got what we came here for."

Killian nodded and murmured something to Noelle. Noelle nodded, and Killian swept her up and carried her through and out the door. 

The return trip was easier, they didn't have to worry about adventurers coming out of the cave, they knew the way was clear now. 

Taako didn't know what he expected as he stepped out, but it wasn't a sunrise. Were they really down there for that long? It seemed like only a few minutes had passed. 

Taako re-cast the spell to transport them all into his house. He turned to the others. "I'm going to get Angus, we have to go up to the bee oh bee and we're going to need his help."

He crept up the short flight of stairs and carefully shook Angus awake. He was a little out of it, but Taako cast a quick Levitate and scooped him up.

They all made their way to a clearing on the outskirts of town, making sure they were out of the public eye. 

"So who's gonna grab us transportation, hm? Will it be our dragonborn friend? The orc? Or maybe, we wake Ango up and we get him to do it," Taako spoke quietly, rubbing the back of a drowsy Angus. 

"I'll do it," Killian sighed. She passed a hand over her bracer, activating an invisible sigil that was now glowing an electric blue. 

In the span of five minutes, a dark orb descended from the sky. As it got closer, the glow on Killian's bracer dimmed. When it landed, the glow faded completely, and the five of them piled in. 

It felt like hardly any time had passed before they arrived in the base, darkened doors sliding open to reveal complex, shining machinery and the few employees that were working at this hour, all wearing blue uniforms and a silver bracer.

Killian stepped out first, she had led the mission after all. Next was Carey, leading Noelle by the hand, and they were greeted with happy small talk from a man who walked over from his station to greet them. 

Taako stood up, carrying the still-asleep Angus in his arms. He allowed himself a moment to draw in the environment that he saw through the doors, and when he walked out the conversation in the room seemed to dull a little. 

He stood with his head high and stance strong, staring defiantly at the man talking to the three women. He blinked once, deliberately, and the man shrank back a bit. 

“Can I help you, sir?” the man asked, glancing at Killian. She waved her hand, as if to dismiss his question, and she turned to Taako. 

“Come on, The Director’s probably going to be in her office. Avi, Carey can get you up to speed,” Killian said, unstrapping her big crossbow from her body. She kept her smaller one, but it looked so natural on her that Taako assumed it was a regular contributor to her attire. She turned Noelle. "After Carey's done she'll help you with the static, okay?"

Noelle nodded groggily, and Carey led her to sit on some steps. She walked back to Avi, and began murmuring to him in a low tone. 

Avi looked at Taako, in his red jacket, he looked at Carey, who was seemingly unfased, and then finally to the blood-covered Noelle. The poor guy was so confused, but it was late enough that Taako didn't care. He just had to get to Lucretia, and after that they could figure out the rest. 

Killian and Taako made their way down the winding halls of the Bureau, the occasional member glancing at them curiously. They exited through a door, and Taako found himself in a clearing that was lined with greenery and benches, a couple pavilions, and a statue of a jellyfish off to one side. 

Taking a closer look at the flowers around them, he noticed that all the plants were, if not Lucretia’s favourites, then another crew member’s favourite plants from their homeworld, or the closest equivalent to it. Shifting Angus in his arms, he paused for a second to pick one for Lucretia. A pretty red one that was one of Lup's favourites. That would be good. For when he told her. He tucked it behind his ear and moved on. 

Now that they were outside, the trio had a much easier time moving throughout the moon base. Eventually they came to a halt at two doors that formed a regal archway. Killian pushed them open, revealing a hallway towards a set of even larger doors. Taako chuckled to himself, his chronicler was always one for the dramatic. 

He set down Angus just outside, the levitation having worn off by then. He made sure that Angus didn’t seem uncomfortable, and then he stood up, shaking his arms out from the brief weight of the little boy in his arms. Without sparing a glance for Killian, he rubbed his hands together and cast Gust on the doors, causing them to fly open dramatically.

The room was more a hallway, really, wide at the base and getting gradually thinner towards the top until it ended in a point. At the end of it, there was a portrait of The Director herself- a lesser man would have thought that she commissioned someone, but Taako knew better. 

Lucretia was standing up, looking at papers on a desk. Or, she was looking at papers until Taako burst in. She turned around, her startled look melting into one of love at the sight of her friend who she hadn’t seen in years.

Taako moved forward, and it was so much more genuine than the flamboyance with which he carried out his everyday tasks. He was holding himself back from running, but only people who knew him very, very well could tell. 

And Lucretia knew him. Very, very well. 

She met him in the middle, hugging him with a ferocity that he had missed. They sank to their knees, and Taako would deny it later, but he was getting a little choked up. 

They stayed like that for a full half minute before Taako pulled away- he was never one for physical signs of affection. He helped Lucretia up before taking her in completely. 

She was wearing robes, far fancier ones than she had ever preferred on the Starblaster but still casual enough that Taako still had the best outfit in the room. They looked a little like the ones from one of the later cycles, he couldn't remember which one. She had probably made these, or at least she had made the design. She had aged, of course, she couldn't stay eighteen forever, but she had her same face, her same smile. The smile that felt like coming home. Her eyes were the same shade of teal that they ever were, and they were- oh. Oh look at that, she was crying. 

"You're going to make me smear my eyeliner, Luce, I swear," Taako said, looking up and fanning his face. "I worked hard on it this time!"

Lucretia let out a watery laugh. "It's not like I haven't done it before."

"Ah, shut up young lady," Taako teased, pulling her into another hug. He pressed a kiss to the top of his sister's forehead, holding her in his arms. 

It was Lucretia who pulled away this time. "Let's neutralize the Gauntlet and the Stone before we do anything else, I have an idea I want to bounce off of you."

She led Taako to her desk, grabbing her Staff before waving a hand that revealed a small door. “This room is actually a hallway, it's just that without proper access you can't go into various doors and/or pocket dimensions."

Taako nodded along before realizing. “Hey wait, you have your Staff!”

“Yeah, as it turns out? Not many people are willing to protect when they have the option to destroy.”

Taako whistled. "Plagiarism? Lucretia, I thought better of you!"

“Just because it's been years since your philosophy book was broadcasted into all of our minds doesn't mean that I can forget about it!”

** _~*~_ **

Killian stood over Angus, protective in case something went wrong. If it turned out that Taako wasn't telling the truth about The Director, she wanted to be ready. She didn't really believe Taako, even if The Director gave verbal confirmation. 

Even as she walked them to the office, she kept her guard up, trying as furiously as she could to ward them off with her mind. 

She was tense right until the hug, but even then she was wary. 

The Director obviously trusted him, though Killian wasn't sure she could do the same. He'd seemed awfully suspicious. Keeping a Relic without even telling his closest friend? If he even was that to Lucretia, that is. 

Killian looked over at the sleeping Angus. What would he say about his father if he was under a truth spell? What would Taako say under a truth spell?

She shoved the thought aside and watched The Director and Taako disappear into a dark hallway. She grit her teeth.

The Director needed to be right about this one. 

** _~*~_ **

“So what are we actually doing here?”

“I built this room specifically for combining The Light. I-”

“Lucretia, what? I thought we decided to keep The Light seperate?”

Lucretia sighed. “That's the idea I wanted to bounce off of you. We tried Barry and Lup's plan, and it- it didn't work. So I'm trying something else. My plan. I'm going to put my barrier up and keep The Hunger from hurting this plane.”

“Luce, that would destroy us all, don't you know that? Not only that, but Angus would be severely harmed, too!”

Lucretia hesitated. “We have to at least try.”

“No, we don't,” Taako put his hands on her shoulders softly. “Lucretia, let's put them in a holding cell. We can figure out what to do once we reunite with the rest of our family, okay?"

Lucretia pressed her lips together but nodded, looking a little ways off to the side. She led Taako to a safe concealed by a hidden panel in the wall. Nothing was in it, except for a shelf and a few hooks. Taako put the Stone and the Gauntlet on the shelf next to each other.

They walked back into the main room holding hands, wanting to keep close to each other a little more than not. 

When they got back, Killian was still waiting outside, barring a drow from entry. Angus was a little ways behind her, obviously a bit frightened. 

"I am telling you! Zis iz a matter ov grave emergency!"

"Brian, The Director isn't in right now! And even if she was, she wouldn't want to see you!"

Lucretia unclasped her hand from Taako's and walked over to them. "Brian, what seems to be the problem?"

Brian whipped around to face her. "Oh Madame Director! Zere iz a very hoztile stranger on ze baze! Zere iz-" he looked over his shoulder before whispering. "-a Red Robe!"

Lucretia sighed. "I am aware of this, Brian. Is there anything else you would like to impart to me?"

Brian sputtered, and then he spotted Taako, who grinned his most teasing smile and waved. "Madame Director vat- vat in ze vorld-"

"Brian, I'm going to have to ask you to leave so Killian and I can discuss what to do," Lucretia said, and without even turning around she added; "Taako, stop that."

Taako held up his hands in surrender, stepping back a little. "Whatever you say, Madame Director."

"Stop that. Stop it right now," Lucretia groaned. Taako laughed a little and started examining her desk, much to Brian's obvious displeasure. "Brian, I will tell you and the rest of the Bureau what I can, but you need to let me figure out a game plan."

"But Mad-"

"I may be younger than you, Brian, but I am your boss and your superior. Leave my office, and let me work."

Brian shut up at that, and swished his cape to exit the room as dramatically as he possibly could. 

Killian shut the door after him, locking it, too. They all converged around Lucretia's desk wordlessly, while she pulled out a map. 

"I've been tracking the relics," she started."Their destructive nature isn't subtle, and nothing can compare to-"

"Get on with it, Lucretia," Taako grumbled. Kilian shot him a look but Lucretia nodded. She pointed to an array of coulored circles she had presumably drawn. Most were filled in, but six of them were empty. 

"This is how I've been tracking the relics and their paths. The empty circles are where they were last seen although," she grabbed purple and orange ink and filled in two of the circles. "I suppose that the Gauntlet and the Stone can be crossed off now."

"So we have to find out what happened to the other four relics and get them back?" Kilian asked, raising an eyebrow. "That seems awfully simple."

"Well, no- the Relics have a particular power signature, ma'am," Angus said. He pulled out his notebook. "Whatever they were created to prevent, having three of them in the same place would bring about great destruction regardless of how well they were controlled."

Taako and Lucretia both stood a little straighter and shared a look. Lucretia took a deep breath. "Angus, how much do you-"

"There's still some static covering your conversations, but I've listened in on some of your group calls and I got that you created the Relics to prevent an evil, and that whatever's happening is better than- and then you speak static again. Which is weird because I've already been inoculated."

"I've been noticing that, too, Director. Sometimes you speak static when you think that none of us can hear you," Killian spoke up. 

Taako cringed a little. "Look, if we explain this all out we're not going to have any time. We're doing this in a cutscene, okay?"

She scrunched up her face. "What do you-"

** _~*~_ **

_ Davenport decided to start the makeshift meeting. His voice crackled to life over Taako's stone of farspeech. "Alright, another team meeting underway. Lucretia, what did you send us? The thing you told us not to open until we got a chance to talk?" _

_ Lucretia hummed, her voice carrying a similar quality. "I- well. Fisher had a child. In the boxes are vials of their ichor." _

_ There was a moment of silence.  _

_ "Fisher WHAT?" _

_ "Magnus calm down-" Davenport tried, to no avail.  _

_ "Lucretia, how do you get onto the fake moon you made, I am coming right now to visit the little guy! What's their name?" _

_ "I- Magnus, they don't have a name yet, first of all, and we can discuss getting you up here separately, can we just get to what I sent to everyone?" _

_ Magnus groaned, but conceded.  _

_ "I was thinking that I could give the second voidfish our Century, be double-protected, just in case relic pursuers find Fisher." _

_ "That sounds good," Barry said. "but who's to say that they'll know to drink the ichor?" _

_ "I got inoculated by having it splash in my mouth," Lucretia responded grimly. "Who knows what'll happen? Their tanks will be in separate places on the base, and Junior's will be under all kinds of security." _

_ Taako leaned back in his chair. He honestly couldn't care less about this, he just wanted to know if he had to drink the fish piss or not. He put his feet up and examined his nails, only half listening to the debate that was ensuing. _

** _~*~_ **

"Hey wait a minute-"

"This cutscene is from my perspective, you don't get to decide what happens here, Lucy."

** _~*~_ **

_ There was a rustling behind him. Taako looked over his shoulder, seeing a four-year-old Angus McDonald in the entryway.  _

_ "Gimme a sec, homies," Taako said, before hitting mute and walking over to his son. "Hey boychik, what are you doing up? It's past your bedtime, or have you forgotten?" _

_ "I wanted you to tuck me back into bed," Angus said with a yawn. "Who were you talking to?" _

_ "Some old friends, you don't need to worry about them yet," Taako said. He scooped Angus up and made sure he was safe and sound back in his bed before returning to the call.  _

_ "What do you MEAN you don't allow dogs on the moon?" _

_ "Magnus I can't let them up here, they would just run right off the thing! You realize that-" _

_ "Not even if I trained it well? Fed it? Cared for it?" _

_ "No! The only dogs allowed up here are service dogs, and-" _

_ "I've been training service dogs, Lucretia! Do you mean to tell me that they can't come up there?" _

_ "Magnus, you don't need a service dog!" _

_ "Oh, look! Taako's back! Now can we please get back to the matter at hand?" Davenport broke through, much to the relief of everyone else.  _

_ "Right. Sorry, Cap," Lucretia took a deep breath. "So, everyone's going to drink the second voidfish's ichor now and tomorrow I'll feed it the Century. Just to be safe." _

_ "That sounds good. Everyone, open your vials." _

_ The sound of rustling came from everyone's lines.  _

_ "On my mark. Three, two one..." _

** _~*~_ **

"So you got... inoculated... twice?" Angus tried. "Some of what you said was static, but that's what happened right?"

Lucretia nodded. "I suppose I should inoculate you two so you can hear everything we're saying. Wait a moment, I'm going to go grab Junior."

She stood up and went through a back door. She had been gone for all of thirty seconds when Killian turned to Taako. 

"You know Magnus, then?"

Taako nodded. "I don't suppose you know anything about his disappearance?"

Killian laughed. "If I did he wouldn't be missing."

There was a small pause. 

"He really came up here and made himself an entire home, huh? Made friends and all. Shame he dropped off the grid."

"Come to think of it, Ma'am, mostly everyone here knew him, but did no one point out that he didn't have a bracer?" Angus spoke up, pointing to his own bracer for emphasis. 

Killian sat up, folding her arms across the table. "Magnus was... a special case. The Director clearly knew him, so we figured that he might be an informant, like Lucas."

"But he wasn't."

"But he wasn't. He made that pretty clear. He was good with the voidfish, though, so our next guess was voidfish expert. But we were wrong on that front too, he told us so himself," Killian shrugged. "He told us he had known The Director for a long time, so that was the end of that discussion."

Taako leaned back in his chair. "Did Mags wear his jacket up here or what, though? And what about Julia?"

"Mags heard the stigma around "Red Robes" so he never wore his jacket. Julia and Magnus made a secondary home here," Lucretia said, returning to the room with a small voidfish coiled around her shoulder. She carried with her two vials of what was it's ichor. "They went back and forth, visiting here every week or so. They went down once word about Raven's Roost got up here and never came back."

Taako leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk. "And he didn't tell you anything?"

Lucretia set the vials in front of the other two, who drank it. "He said he was going to visit... the Woven Gulch? I think? Some place called Refuge."

Taako hissed through his teeth. "That's where he hid his relic, that can't be good."

The air around the table seemed to grow colder. Angus shifted uncomfortably. "That can't be good, can it, sir?"

Taako shook his head. "No, it really isn't. We don't know what he's been doing for the last... year and a half, about. His relic is one of the more dangerous ones, there's gotta be a way to get to him or we're probably doomed."

Lucretia stood up. "I'm going to call Davenport and Merle. We need everyone we can on hand for this."

Taako nodded as she left, calling them on the Stone of Farspeech around her neck. 

Taako looked at Angus, who then looked up at Taako. 

"Sir, I hope you know what you're doing."

Taako heaved a sigh though his nose. "Yeah, kid. Me, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so im back. with a plot now. i don't know how long it will be between updates, but im invested in this now so not long, i hope!!!! love you <3


End file.
